The Christmas Curse
by ColorOfAngels
Summary: They suffer from the Christmas curse...and they refuse to stand for it a second longer. One shot inspired by Dangerverse...


A/N Hey everyone! here's another Dangerverse one shot which was inspired by the wonderful work of fan fiction, Living With Danger by the one and only Anne Walsh who was nice enough to let me take her characters out to play…Oh and big shout out and thank you to MercuryBlue who was kind enough to beta this for me…

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**Curse you, Godric Gryffindor, and all your descendants after you. May you sleep late on Christmas morning and wake up to find your best present already opened**. -excerpt from chapter 46 of Living with Danger by whydoyouneedtoknow

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The group known as the Pride had chosen to spend Christmas Eve in the Hogwarts Den. Almost everyone had gone home for Christmas holidays, which meant there was little chance of anyone noticing that they were missing. 

The Alpha of the Pride, also known as the one and only Harry Potter, was sleeping peacefully until a pillow, and not the one he was currently using, came in swift and sudden contact with his face.

"Erumpht," was the only thing Harry had to say to that.

"Come on, Harry!" his little sister Meghan Black exclaimed, with an excitement for Christmas morning that most thirteen-year-olds had already abandoned. "How come you're always the last one awake on Christmas!"

"I dunno," Harry said through a yawn. Which was the truth. He generally wasn't the last one awake the rest of the year, but it seemed like he always overslept on Christmas. "Aww, you guys already started opening up presents?"

"You should know that there is nothing that's going to restrain this group," Hermione said, shaking her head sadly.

Harry chuckled at his sister, but decided not to comment on the fact that she too was already halfway through opening her own presents. "Well, where are mine?" he asked.

"Over here," his girlfriend replied. "But I'm afraid I accidentally opened one of them already," Ginny admitted sheepishly as she tossed him a small box. "It was in my pile and I had already opened it before I realized it wasn't mine."

"It's all right," Harry replied, walking over her and giving her a quick kiss. "I'm used to it. It seems like it's tradition for someone else to open my best present every year. At least you're cuter than the person who did that last year," he added, with a significant look at his best friend, who was obliviously munching a licorice wand.

Harry had no idea just how close he was with the first part of his statement, but didn't think on it anymore once he saw the twenty-four-carat gold Golden Snitch that his godfather had sent him for Christmas.

However on a different plane of existence, in a different Heart of Hogwarts, there were a few people who were not going to let the same incident go so easily.

"I believe that's mine," Godric Gryffindor said pointedly to Rowena Ravenclaw as he took the new fur coat from her hands.

"What are you _doing_?" Paul Gryffindor yelped, spotting Adam Hufflepuff opening a box that was clearly not his.

"What's going on?" Maura Gryffindor asked, walking in and rubbing her eyes. Evidently she had overslept, and was only just now joining the party.

"Sorry, Maura," Sophia Ravenclaw said, holding out a necklace to the other woman. "This is yours, I opened it on accident."

"What's with you people?" Paul grumbled. "Why are you always opening our presents?"

"Why do you care so much?" Helga Hufflepuff asked. "It's not like we don't already have everything we need and that we all just conjured presents for each other. The only reason we even exchange Christmas presents with each other is for tradition and to break up the monotony up here," she said sensibly.

"It's the principle of the thing," Godric replied indignantly. "And because it's tradition to open your _own_ gifts."

"Don't get angry at them," Alex said from where he was sitting in the corner and smiling, having just read the inscription _To AS, with love, AW_ on the leather-bound journal he had unwrapped a moment earlier. "It's not their fault that your best gifts keep getting opened."

"Well then whose is it?" Maura demanded.

"Honestly," Alex said, tucking the journal into the inner pocket of his robes. "Am I the only one that pays attention around here?"

"Just tell us what you know, Alex," Godric growled.

"Fine, Rick, don't get your knickers in a twist," Alex replied looking at his cuticles as if they were the most interesting thing he had ever seen. "Simply put, you were cursed. You and all of your descendants, although I have faith that the one doing the cursing didn't think it would actually work, nor did she realize she would be cursing one of her own."

It didn't take long for the three Gryffindors to realize just who was at fault for their Christmas curse.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Seven months and five days later, one Harry Potter was quickly whisked away upon the Pack and Pride's arrival at the Founders' Hogwarts. 'Family business' was the only response given to the questioning glances. When the three Gryffindors and their scion returned, it was clear to everyone that they had a mission.

As the four of them took their places on the dais, a wall of fire erupted around them and around their feet, quickly garnering everyone's attention with the theatrics.

"Gertrude Granger-Lupin," Godric intoned, "we have a matter of great importance to discuss with you."

"You have affronted our family and we will not stand for it," Maura continued in the same manner.

"We do not respond to this kind of vicious attack kindly," Paul added sternly.

"Seriously, Danger, what the hell?" Harry finished.

"You really need to work on your approach," Paul muttered to his multi-great-nephew.

The younger man simply shrugged, muttering back, "You've had more practice than I have."

"What did I do?" Danger asked, clearly flummoxed, looking over at the other members of the Pack, and at Remus in particular.

**Don't look at me. I honestly don't know what they're talking about. I think you got yourself into this one on your own.**

**Thanks for all the moral support.**

**Hey, I try to avoid getting on the bad side of one of the Founding Families. Look, even Harry looks irritated.**

Danger had her witty retort all ready, but never got a chance to use it, as Godric chose that moment to speak again.

"For seven years, the curse you laid upon me and my lineage has stood."

"Tonight is the night we confront you," Maura stated.

"Tonight is the night it needs to end," Harry added.

"Why did you have to go after our presents?" Paul asked, the anguish clear in his voice. "Is nothing sacred to you, woman? "

"Now who needs to work on their approach?" Harry asked, turning to the older man.

"Great job, Paul, way to kill the mystery," Maura snapped at her brother.

"Harry broke the mood before I did," he retorted.

"Don't you blame it on my great-great-great--you get the point--grandson," Maura scolded. "You've been doing this how many more hundreds of years than he has?"

"Besides, I only did a tone shift," Harry added. "You're the one that let the kneazle out of the bag."

The dramatic fire that had been burning around them fizzled as they bickered, while the other Founders looked on, amused. The remainder of the Pack and Pride were equally amused, but highly confused.

"That's enough," Godric finally ordered, making the other three hush immediately.

"Yes, we've strayed from our purpose," Maura said, adjusting her posture and glaring at her brother out of the corner of her eye.

"Er, I hate to interrupt," Danger interjected, "but I'm still not sure what I did."

"Six years ago--" Godric began.

"You cursed us--" Paul continued.

"'May you sleep late on Christmas morning--'" Harry added.

"'And wake up to find your best present already opened'," Maura finished. "Didn't you mother ever tell you it's not nice to curse your friends?"

"It's not fair, Adam always opens my best presents," Paul said sullenly.

"Even cursing your own Pack-son, and, more recently, your husband," Godric pointed out.

"Not cool, not cool at all," Harry said shaking his head sadly.

"So that's why Sirius has been opening my gifts the past two years," Remus mused thoughtfully, figuring out what they were getting at a half-heartbeat before Danger. "I thought he was just being rude."

"See," Sirius interjected, "I had to open them, I was compelled by the curse."

And he was right, because technically speaking, as long as Harry wore the locket that swung from his Pack-pendants, Remus was a descendant from and Heir of Gryffindor. Which meant that anything that affected the line of Gryffindor affected him in equal measure. And Danger had said something on Christmas Eve, seven years before...

"OH!" Danger exclaimed, suddenly realizing just what they were talking about. "I didn't mean it, I was just kidding."

"We know," Godric replied, "but it still took hold."

"The first couple years it wasn't that big of a deal," Maura said honestly.

"My Invisibility Cloak," Harry mentioned, referring to the first cursed Christmas.

"But it gets old fast," Paul said.

"My real gold Snitch," Harry added, alluding to this past Christmas.

"So would you like me to take it off now?" Danger asked.

"That would be nice," Godric replied with a smile.

"So I speak, so I intend," Danger began.

"So let it be done," the residents of the Founders' Hogwarts intoned.

"Well thank Merlin for that!" Alex exclaimed. "I'm tired of Mr. Cranky-Pants Paul over there whining about his presents every year."

"Well you were the one who knew about the curse and didn't say anything for six years!" Paul retorted.

"Not my fault you didn't ask me about it," Alex replied, nonchalantly.

"Boys, boys!" Helga interrupted. "Now there is a perfectly civil way to settle this--"

"CHUGGING CONTEST!" Adam shouted before his mother could finish.

Paul and Alex looked at each other for a moment sizing each other up.

"You're on," Paul declared.

"You are so going down," Alex retorted.

And so began the Great Butterbeer Incident of '96. Many of those in attendance refused to speak of it ever again, those who will respond to inquiries will reply with only one descriptive word...

Everywhere.

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A/N So there we have it…let me know what you all think!!! 


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